[Mudshark]

Makes sense to me.

For what it's worth, in my reading of other people's impressions of the MX4, it seemed like other people thought that the MX4 did not scale much based on source (for better or worse). Not sure how much of that is due to them being only 20ohm, but it sounded like they were kind of the opposite of something like the HD 650 in terms of scalability. And that seemed somewhat intentional for how Audeze was marketing this model, being able to get good sound out of a lower-end source as something that set it apart from other models like the LCD-3 or LCD-4.

Good point, but just because the MX4's are easier to drive than the LCD-3/4 does not mean an inexpensive low-powered source will sound like a high-end source via the MX4. When using a more revealing transducer, it will do a better job of highlighting deficiencies in the playback chain. Ironically, a better headphone can sound worse than a lesser headphone in such situations.

Again, I am not dissing your Topping DAC/HP amp, but I would suggest respectfully that the MX4's are revealing more of the Topping's sound than are your Senn's. Which combo you prefer is up to you, obviously. But if you decide that the Topping/Senn combo beats the Topping/MX4 combo, I would not necessarily draw the conclusion that the MX4's are the weak link in the chain.

 

[groovyd]

They are advertised as weighing 555 grams, but mine weigh 568. Not a big difference. This is without cables. Are you taking the weight without cables and on a reliable scale? If so, then there must be quite some variation from unit to unit. I find mine comfortable for long listening. The LCD-2CB I had weighed 644 grams and there I could feel the weight after a while.

A very accurate postal scale repeats both measurements over and over in any order without cables. Could it be the pad weight? X has vegan plush MX4 has stock leather. Both have carbon fiber headband but the X is the older style without the holes in the leather.

 

[groovyd]

they still giving out the measured FR plots for their headphones? Would be interesting to compare to my X.

 

[CaptainFantastic]

A very accurate postal scale repeats both measurements over and over in any order without cables. Could it be the pad weight? X has vegan plush MX4 has stock leather. Both have carbon fiber headband but the X is the older style without the holes in the leather.

No, mine have the stock leather pads on as well. Send a question to Audeze support and get their confirmation that unit weight varies... I would not want mine to be 600+ either... maybe they can replace them.

 

[Mudshark]

They’re highly sensitive and have very low impedance. They can be driven easily by a dragonfly red. His amp is more than capable here. Maybe they’re just not that good and his impressions are spot on?
I can listen to my Edition X V2 directly with my iPhone, my dragonfly red, my Fiiio Q1 mark 2, my Fiio Q5 with a balanced connection, or my Jotunheim and it sounds fantastic with all of them. And my HEX V2 is harder to drive than the MX4.
So maybe it’s the headphone. It’s not like it has sold very well.

He had all of one hour on the MX4's when posted his initial impressions. I think the cans and the cable (assuming he's using a new stock Audeze cable) need more time before they reach their potential.

Speaking of burn-in, I have about ten hours on my MX4's. I am driving them currently with a Monolith Liquid Platinum amp via its single-ended output using a fully broken-in Toxic Cables Silver Widow HP cable. The DAC is a PS Audio DirectStream Sr. running the new Snowmass OS. The MX4's sound spectacular to me, and they are likely not even close to fully burned in (also, the LP's single-ended output exists for "convenience" only, according to the manual). I need to switch my Corpse Cable GraveDigger balanced HP cable from my LCD-X's to my MX-4's so I can see how the MX-4's sound when driven balanced.

 

[Hifiearspeakers]

He had all of one hour on the MX4's when posted his initial impressions. I think the cans and the cable (assuming he's using a new stock Audeze cable) need more time before they reach their potential.

Speaking of burn-in, I have about ten hours on my MX4's. I am driving them currently with a Monolith Liquid Platinum amp via its single-ended output using a fully broken-in Toxic Cables Silver Widow HP cable. The DAC is a PS Audio DirectStream Sr. running the new Snowmass OS. The MX4's sound spectacular to me, and they are likely not even close to fully burned in (also, the LP's single-ended output exists for "convenience" only, according to the manual). I need to switch my Corpse Cable GraveDigger balanced HP cable from my LCD-X's to my MX-4's so I can see how the MX-4's sound when driven balanced.

Burn in allows a headphone that sounds really good to sound great. I’ve never owned a headphone that sounded awful before burn in to all of a sudden sound amazing. That’s called self-deception. My HEX V2, 800S, and HEK V2 all sounded amazing within the first 20 minutes of listening to them. 100 hours later and they sounded slightly different and better. It wasn’t like a completely different headphone.

No amount of time or burn in could make me like any Beyerdynamic because I can’t take that ice pick treble. Maybe that’s how he feels about the MX4. Audeze is known for warm bass, and rolled off upper mids and treble. The Sennheiser’s he’s coming from are far more neutral. It wouldn’t surprise me if he finds the MX4 to sound dull, closed in, and lacking clarity in comparison.

 

[EDN80]

Feels like I snagged the last $1499 pair audio46.com had to sell yesterday, though I wonder if the LCD-MX4 is being discontinued. Moon-Audio certainly thinks so https://www.moon-audio.com/audeze-lcd-mx4-headphones.html and whereas you could order a new pair direct from Audeze @ $2,995 this morning, they're out of stock now, even at full MSRP- "OUT OF STOCK" "This product is not available now, please remove this from the cart to proceed checkout." Hmmmm... Could we have the official word from Audeze?

No amount of time or burn in could make me like any Beyerdynamic because I can’t take that ice pick treble. Maybe that’s how he feels about the MX4. Audeze is known for warm bass, and rolled off upper mids and treble. The Sennheiser’s he’s coming from are far more neutral. It wouldn’t surprise me if he finds the MX4 to sound dull, closed in, and lacking clarity in comparison.

Same thing happened to me coming from an AKG K812 to a Z1R. Took me a minute to adjust to the SONY sound. Thought they sounded veiled and muffled coming from such a bright headphones-- of course, many people still think the Z1R sound veiled and muffled. Far from it.

 

[Mudshark]

The Sennheiser’s he’s coming from are far more neutral. It wouldn’t surprise me if he finds the MX4 to sound dull, closed in, and lacking clarity in comparison.

I own the Senn HD580 and HD650, as well as the Audeze LCD-2F, LCD-X, and now LCD-MX4. FWIW, my ratio of Audeze listening time to Senn listening time is probably greater than 95:1.

 

[Hifiearspeakers]

I own the Senn HD580 and HD650, as well as the Audeze LCD-2F, LCD-X, and now LCD-MX4. FWIW, my ratio of Audeze listening time to Senn listening time is probably greater than 95:1.

Great for you. I love the LCD 3 Fazor and none of the others so far, but I have yet to hear the MX4 or 4Z. But what does that have to do with someone else’s preferences and impressions? Does he have to hear things and prefer things the same way you or I do?

 

[Mudshark]

Of course not. I think Sennheiser and Audeze are great. Some prefer one brand, and some prefer the other, and that is what makes a horse race. I was just responding to your sweeping generalizations that "Audeze is known for warm bass, and rolled off upper mids and treble," that "[t]he Sennheiser’s he’s coming from are far more neutral," and that the MX4's are likely to "sound dull, closed in, and lacking clarity in comparison." If he prefers his Senn's, then he is lucky, as he can bank the difference and spend it on something else.

 

[Hifiearspeakers]

Of course not. I think Sennheiser and Audeze are great. Some prefer one brand, and some prefer the other, and that is what makes a horse race. I was just responding to your sweeping generalizations that "Audeze is known for warm bass, and rolled off upper mids and treble," that "[t]he Sennheiser’s he’s coming from are far more neutral," and that the MX4's are likely to "sound dull, closed in, and lacking clarity in comparison." If he prefers his Senn's, then he is lucky, as he can bank the difference and spend it on something else.

Ok gotcha. My bad. I interpreted your response wrong. I thought you were implying his impressions weren’t valid.

 

[franz12]

Indeed, give them some listening time. They are my favorite headphones. This does not mean that they are 10x better than the HD-600 which I also own and at 300 EUR x 10 would equal the full MX4 price of 3000. I mean, the HD-600 would have to be total crap for another unit to be 10x better.

The way I see it, there is no discussion whatsoever that the MX4 is a superior experience. We could use audiophile terms, but let me just say that no other headphone I own / have owned / tried has given me the same level of emotions when listening to music. Therefore a higher price is justified. How much higher? This is obviously dependent on so many factors, but I can say that if I can afford the MX4, I cannot go back to the HD-600 except for particular purposes. So I am willing to pay the higher price. If someone can show me a similar audio experience for 800 USD/EUR, sure... my argument falls.

Today I received the RME ADI-2 and I can firmly say that it is an upgrade to the Grace m900 for the MX4. People have advised me that it would only be an upgrade for the functionality, not the sound. But for the MX4 it definitely adds even more to the experience.

It is unfair to compare them by saying it is not 10x better than others. The same goes for hd6xx as it would not be better 200x than a cheapo $1 IEM.
It is fair to say that there is about 1.3k difference. For some folks who are in this hobby, 1.3k is small, while that isn't the case for some others. Just buy something you feel comfortable and enjoy.

 

[Drumonron]

It is unfair to compare them by saying it is not 10x better than others. The same goes for hd6xx as it would not be better 200x than a cheapo $1 IEM.
It is fair to say that there is about 1.3k difference. For some folks who are in this hobby, 1.3k is small, while that isn't the case for some others. Just buy something you feel comfortable and enjoy.

The Holidays and work leave not enough headtime for the LCD-MX4. I expect only what's scientifically possible by Planar Magnetics - I would not compare dynamics to Planars, is it possible?

Will give more later when time permits - so busy. I have had a session with the MX4s in which I heard a woman's voice and I turned thinking my wife was in the room but she was not, I've not had that happen in some time.

By this I mean, my wife has not entered my listening room in some time(wink wink).

More detailed impressions will come. Trying to pinpoint the strengths / weaknesses - I will say this, I find that these headphones are amazing at interpreting the actually recording weaknesses/ strengths - so revealing of processed sounds/voices - A Perfect Circle , Eat the Elephant is an album where I found this reveal of vocal processing more pronounced than I've heard before. I have also had a session where these headphones disappeared. This is the Euphoria that all head-fiers seek, eh. Sweet session. Must be silence in the room, eyes closed, absorb the sound and boom you are there. A very nice headphone.

Dave Mathews Band - Under the Table and Dreaming - I know it sounds good on all headphones but on the MX4s, it really came through. Listening and hearing all subjective I know but I can only relay what I've received. I was in the studio and wow, such a great mix relayed by these cans.

Happy Holidays - I think I like the Holographic Planar presentation.

 

[Drumonron]

Hmmmm.... mine arrived and side by side against my X (using sonarworks custon calibration X profile) the X sounds better with the mx4 being noticeably siblant and more closed sounding. Now could be the custom calibration which needs updated for the mx4 but first impression is hard to judge but not immediately better sounding. Also my X is with plush pads while the MX4 is with leather also noticed the pads are slightly different style, more firm cushioning not quite as comfortable and wondering if I can install plush pads to the MX4 same as the X? I have a couple extra sets of plush pads but the mounting format looks slightly different.

But the biggest concern I have is the MX4 is 600g while the X is only 585g. I thought the MX4 was supposed to be lighter then the X? That was in fact the entire reason I was interested in them after all. Are they supposed to be heavier than the X? They are clearly more efficient than the X by a good 25%.

But then there is info like this:

Sent an inquiry to Audeze about the weights of new LCD-2C and LCD-MX4. Quickly got an response from Chris. Hope this helps. (without cables in grams)

Sine: 318g

EL-8 Open: 520g

EL-8 Closed: 540g

LCD-2C: 549g

LCD-2 Bamboo/Shedua: 565g

LCD-2 Rosewood: 585g

LCD-3: 629g

LCD-X: 630g

LCD-XC: 680g

LCD-MX4: 555g

LCD-4: 695g

 

[sahmen]

I have got my LCD-MX4, and have been listening to it for a few hours now (only 6 hours or less), and so far, I am experiencing a sort of "good news"/"not so good news" kind of result.

Good news : I like the headphone a lot, aesthetically, build-wise, and most importantly of all, SQ-wise. Oh, and they are brand new, not B-stock, and that is great.

Not so good news : I have been comparing them with my LCD-X playing both on my nearfield rig, and they seem to sound too much alike to my ears, to the point where, I am already thinking of letting one of them go. From what I can tell, the MX4 seems to be edging the X slightly in the clarity of the mids, in imaging, and overall refinement. However, the bass of the X seems to hit slightly harder than the MX4, very slightly. The differences are subtle, and not pronounced enough (at this point) to create a big enough delta of preference between the two cans to my ears, and that is precisely the issue.

The rig is:

Metrum Acoustics Ambre/Roon ==>> Metrum Acoustics Onyx ==>> Cavalli/Monolith Liquid Platinum (with "Holy Grail" Reflektor tubes)...I am also using a Norne Audio Silvergarde S aftermarket cable with both cans, and playing them in balanced mode...

I am wondering whether the similarity has something to do with the MX4 being too new and not "broken" in or "burnt" in enough, or whether there is something in my chain of components, which is blurring or erasing the differences between these two cans... Strangely, it was relatively easier for me to tell the difference between the sound of my LCDi4, when it arrived, and the LCD-X... I am very fond of my LCD-X, for sonic, as well as sentimental reasons (it was my first Audeze headphone), but I knew within the first 5 minutes of using the LCDi4, that I would prefer many SQ aspects of the latter over those of the former (notably, soundstagive, instrument separation, air, and a sense of overall refinement), at least for some types of music...

Again I like how the MX4 sounds, and would easily consider it to be a keeper under normal circumstances. What I do not like is the redundancy of having two Audeze cans sounding so seemingly alike on my rigs. When I get the chance, I am going to try both of them on my Yggdrasil2 ==>> Violectric V281 rig too, and see whether those will produce more marked differences between the two cans. If not, then I might have to consider selling one of them (maybe the MX4) or trading it up for another pair of cans that would provide me with a more different flavor (A used LCD-4, or Susvara, or something from the ZMF range of new releases, which I have only read about so far, but never experienced)...

The sad thing is I have the MX4 on my head now, listening to Nik Bartsch & his Ronin's Randori album, and I am absolutely digging the way the MX4 is resolving and presenting the entire sound-field. The way it is positioning each instrument in its own place, within that field, --and the coherence of the whole ...Quiet a thing of beauty... This is good! Maybe, it is my own head that needs some "burn-in" time with the MX4.... Maybe I just need a little more time to get used to these new cans in order to really discern and pick out its subtle SQ differences, before I can get to appreciate what really makes it different from the X? I do not really know.

If anyone has any insights into this rather odd situation, kindly share your thoughts.